Legally blind magician uncovers his true purpose at USC Dornsife

With an assist from USC, Tyler Gibgot discovered his real magic.

Throughout the last four years, Gibgot, a semipro magician and cognitive science major at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, has grown from a socially introverted teen into a confident 22-year-old eager to tackle life’s next adventures, including helping others discover their own personal brand of magic.

“My goal is to lead by example and help others see personal challenges as opportunities for growth and a way to inspire people all around them,” Gibgot says.

Graduating senior finds a passion and purpose

Gibgot knows something about personal challenges.

The Los Angeles native was born with a rare genetic eye condition called aniridia. Translating to “without iris” in Greek, aniridia causes light to perpetually flood Gibgot’s eyes. A sub-condition called nystagmus, meanwhile, further diminishes Gibgot’s visual acuity, making it tough to read facial expressions or print on a board.

“For me, it’s like constantly walking out of a dark movie theater into daylight,” he says.

While Gibgot’s visual impairment delivered profound benefits, such as a deeper sense of empathy and richer reflection on the qualities he values in people — “I couldn’t judge a book by its cover even if I wanted to,” he says — it also made “fitting in” a challenge during his teen years.

Then, in the depths of the pandemic and months before he arrived at USC in the fall of 2021, Gibgot found magic. He enjoyed the tactile feel of playing cards and began creating his own tricks. Blending storytelling with sleight of hand, he practiced his magic on Omegle, an international online platform he describes as “FaceTime with strangers.”

Magic became Gibgot’s muse, a tool for self-expression. And for the first time in his life, Gibgot could see something others could not.

“I had a perception of what was going on in a trick that others didn’t,” he says. “I completely flipped the script.”

When Gibgot arrived at USC Dornsife, he brought his magic from the digital world into campus settings, performing tricks for classmates and neighbors. His skills developed, and magic transformed from a hobby into a purpose.

“My passion grew alongside my curiosity, and I wanted to incorporate magic into my academic pursuits,” he says.

USC Dornsife graduate blends magic with a major

Initially a statistics major with an interest in identifying statistical barriers to employment for people with disabilities, Gibgot switched to cognitive science, the interdisciplinary field investigating the mind and its processes.

“It felt right, even though I was still exploring how cognitive science applied to my interests,” he says. “While most people see magic and ask ‘How?’ I was more interested in the why. Why do these tricks work and resonate with people, capturing not only their attention but their imagination?”

USC helped him discover compelling insights into the mind and its relationship with magic, igniting his self-confidence and fueling new ambitions. In psychology and cognitive science classes, Gibgot learned about attention, perception, memory and other principles underlying magic. He felt a magnetic pull to studying the mind and its fascination with magic, seeing both as a way to unlock fresh possibilities.

Supported by an internship award from USC, Gibgot ventured to England in 2023 for a summertime research experience with Gustav Kuhn, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Plymouth. Kuhn’s interdisciplinary MAGIC Lab explored magic as a tool to investigate human behavior and cognition. For three months, Gibgot worked on a project examining how to bring the joy and wonder of magic to blind people. He co-authored an academic paper on the project, which published in the journal Trends in Cognitive Science last November.

“These experiences shaped who I am today: someone who uses magic not only as a tool for wonder but as a bridge to bring people together,” he says. “And none of it would be possible without USC’s academic rigor, which allowed me to immerse myself deeply in this niche field.”

The ‘real’ magic for graduating Trojan

While developing his academic understanding of magic, Gibgot continued strengthening his performative chops and contributing to a more connected, lively community, as well. He brought magic to children in local hospitals, to restaurants and the USC Village, spreading positivity and wonderment to strangers while crafting memorable experiences transcending language, ability and background. He also co-founded and served as president of the USC Magic Association, creating a thriving community of students enthusiastic about magic.

“The Trojan family lifted me up in ways I never imagined,” he says.

After graduating in May, Gibgot plans to move to New York and pursue a professional opportunity mixing cognitive science and marketing. Long term, though, he hopes to create a show encouraging people to express themselves through whatever they see as their magic, using his own journey of living with a visual impairment as an example of overcoming adversity and finding purpose.

“My eyes have fueled my desire to uplift others and show that limits are not set by circumstances, but instead by how we react to them,” Gibgot says.

And that, he notes, is the greatest magic of all.